


we could play that game

by chininiris



Series: Ashe Ship Week 2020 [3]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cat Cafés, M/M, Pre-Relationship, oh yeah I went there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-11-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:47:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27535513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chininiris/pseuds/chininiris
Summary: “Your favorite customer is here,” Dedue informs as he enters the kitchen, and Ashe nearly drops the tray of sweet buns he just removed from the oven.Carefully, he sets the tray on the counter and doesn’t look at Dedue as his friend deposits dirty dishes in the sink and rolls up his sleeves. “He’s not my favorite customer,” Ashe mutters feebly, unsticking the sweet buns from the tray with a silicone spatula and setting them on a cooling rack.For Ashe Ship Week Day 03:Cats / Modern
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/Yuris Leclair | Yuri Leclerc
Series: Ashe Ship Week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2009125
Comments: 10
Kudos: 35





	we could play that game

**Author's Note:**

> Here's yet another entry for [Ashe Ship Week](https://twitter.com/asheshipweek)! I think I've spread the yuriashe agenda enough for now *wheeze* I'll take a break tomorrow, since I have an idea that could suit the prompts but it's too long to pull off in time.
> 
> I'll come back to this at a later date to correct any mistakes and polish it some more.
> 
> Title is from [MIKA - Feels Like Love](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vR1WFoZYGUo),. Enjoy!

“Your favorite customer is here,” Dedue informs as he enters the kitchen, and Ashe nearly drops the tray of sweet buns he just removed from the oven.

Carefully, he sets the tray on the counter and doesn’t look at Dedue as his friend deposits dirty dishes in the sink and rolls up his sleeves. “He’s not my favorite customer,” Ashe mutters feebly, unsticking the sweet buns from the tray with a silicone spatula and setting them on a cooling rack. 

Dedue hums noncommittally, the sound of the water running from the faucet nearly drowning out the sound. “Thank you for watching over the oven,” he says instead. “Mercedes will be back from her break in a few.”

It’s a simple dismissal to anyone, an order to return to the front and deal with the customers. Ashe catches the underlines, the  _ go get his order _ that goes unsaid, then takes off his gloves and sets them on the table on his way out, patting his hair and smoothing his apron until a quiet huff from Dedue has him snapping his arms down to his sides. He ignores the quiet laugh as best as he can and leaves the kitchen, nearly bumping into Mercedes on his way out, who only gives him a sweet smile before hurrying past the door.

Caspar is busy preparing hot drinks. One of their cats, Pumpkin, tangles herself between his legs, purring loudly. He’s not the most talented when it comes to baking, but he’s good with drinks and excellent with the cats. That, in a cat café, is mandatory.

Ashe grabs a notepad and pen from the counter, and tries to act as normal as he can as he walks to the table in the corner of the shop. It’s the same group of friends again, one that returns often enough that Ashe knows their names by now. As usual, the cats are crowded around the redhead, Hapi, meowing at her and competing for scratches and pats. He doesn’t understand how she does it, but the cats always go after her like a magnet, not replicating the same behavior with any other customer.

He offers them a smile and the standard greeting, and tries  _ so hard _ not to stare at Yuri too long, not to blush like a fool with a gigantic crush. Yuri tilts his head up to greet him in return, flashing him the same flirty smile that makes Ashe’s heart flutter and heat spread on his face. 

A flush colors his cheeks and he ducks his head to hide his face behind his hair, using that as an excuse to write Balthus’s order down, who’s only there waiting for his longtime friend to finish his shift in one of the company buildings nearby. Constance orders next, enough food for her and Hapi, and again Ashe turns to Yuri to take his order.

“I’ll have today’s special,” he says, flashing another sly smile that makes Ashe a little weak in the knees.

Ashe manages not to trip on his own feet as he walks back to the counter, giving the drink orders to Caspar and retrieving a set of clean plates from the cupboard. Discreetly, he steals glimpses at the table from under the fall of his hair, watches the small group bantering and teasing one another. Yuri rubs the underside of his nose with the back of his hand every now and then, his eyebrows pinching in slight annoyance, but the smile doesn’t drop from his lips. 

“There ya go.” Grinning, Caspar deposits the drinks on the tray. “Need any help with that?”

“I’ll manage.” After arranging the plates on the tray as well, Ashe carefully picks it up, mindful of the balance. “Can you check on the other tables?”

“On it!” 

Ashe returns to the group, setting each order down in front of the correct person. Balthus wastes no time to dig into the slice of meat pie he ordered, and Hapi is quick to stuff the sweet buns into her mouth, earning a disapproving glare from Constance, who carefully cuts a piece of her mini fruit tart with a fork and knife. Ashe doesn’t bother telling her again that it’s fine to pick those up with her hands.

Yuri sniffs when the plate of double chocolate brownies is placed in front of him, accompanied by a tall glass of iced chocolate. “Thank you,” he says, quickly turning away with an apology to sneeze into his forearm. 

“Bless you.” Ashe turns away when Yuri rubs his nose again, wishing the others a good meal before taking his leave to tend to other customers. 

The café is full enough that it doesn’t allow Ashe time to stop and steal frequent glimpses from the lilac haired man sitting with his friends. After every few turns, he casts his gaze their way, sometimes seeing that Yuri is looking his way. The blush on his face darkens in these moments, but they are far apart enough that, hopefully, the object of his affections won’t notice. 

He does hear Yuri sneezing often enough, though, and has to wonder if he’s sick by any chance. The weather is getting colder with each day and it isn’t uncommon to catch a cold at this time of the year. 

Whilst changing the water from the bowls, he hears a “gotta go!”, soon followed by the bell jingling above the door and Constance’s indignant “he left without paying  _ again _ !” resounding within the café. Hapi’s sigh can be heard from the sink where Ashe is rinsing the bowls, and Balthus shoots his friends a thumbs up from the other side of the window as he runs away. 

Beside him, Caspar laughs heartily, nearly spilling the latte that he’s just finished preparing. “That’s the fifth time this month!” 

Now that he thinks about it, it really is. They really do come here often, don’t they?

Shrugging, Ashe returns the bowls full of fresh water to their spot, then wipes his hands with the kitchen towel he’d previously slung over his shoulder and walks over to their table again upon Hapi’s beckoning. She sighs once more and props her chin on her hands, looking up at him with tired eyes. “Can I have a slice of cheesecake?” 

He writes the order down, turning to Yuri at the same time Hapi turns to Constance to stop her rant by feeding her a slice of red velvet cake. That shuts her up immediately. “Would you like anything else?” 

Yuri looks up, and Ashe startles slightly at the sight of his face, his nose and eyes flushed red, eyelids slightly swollen. “Just some water, please.”

Nodding, Ashe whirls around on his heels and marches back to the counter, retrieving a slice of the blueberry treat and a bottle of water from the fridge. After he sets down the new orders on the table, Constance leans forward and narrows her eyes at Yuri while Ashe is busy piling the dirty, empty dishes on his tray. “Are those rashes on your neck?” 

From the corner of his eyes, Ashe looks at Yuri when he replies, “no,” whilst rubbing a hand over his forearm, covered by the long sleeve of his sweater. 

Hapi makes a noise close to a groan. “Did you take your meds?” 

Yuri sneezes, now scratching his painted nails over the sleeve. “Does it look like I did?” 

“Good grief, Yuri!” Constance shoots up to her feet, and Hapi does the same. Yuri follows at a much slower pace. “Are you trying to get yourself killed?”

She hoards him to the exit, and Hapi lingers behind for long enough to say they’ll be back to pay for the bill,  _ for sure _ . “Constance can’t drive to save her life and I won’t let Yuri drive like this,” she explains, and Ashe lets them go without a fuss.

Dedue has returned from the kitchen when Ashe walks over to the counter with the dirty dishes. “He’s allergic?” His eyebrows lift in surprise, eyes following the three friends rushing towards the car.

“Wow.” Caspar rolls up his sleeves to deal with the dishes Ashe set down in the sink. “Why does he keep coming back if he’s allergic?”

Dedue doesn’t reply, only gives Ashe a fleeting look before the latter turns around quickly to get back the uneaten slice of cheesecake and unopened water bottle. 

:

Two evenings later, Mercedes is in the kitchen finishing up the puff pastry dough for the next day, Dedue and Caspar left earlier, and the cats are already sleeping in their beds or the cat trees. 

That leaves Ashe at the front by himself, lowering the chairs back down to the ground after having swept the floor clean. Wiping down the tables comes next, then one last scrub to the counter for good measure before they lock up for the night. 

Ashe is rinsing his hands clean when the door opens, prompting him to look up in its direction. “Sorry, we’re- oh! G-Good evening, Yuri.” 

The door closes behind him with another jingle from the bell and Yuri strides further into the café like he isn’t deathly allergic to the place. “Evening. Sorry I left in a rush last time.”

“Well, you- should you even be here?” Not for the first time since that incident, Ashe feels a wave of dismay hit him at the prospect of Yuri not returning to the café anymore. As upset as that makes him feel, though, Yuri’s health is infinitely more important than getting to talk to him briefly. “You’re allergic to cats.” 

“I noticed too late that I’d run out of antihistamine tablets,” he explains, leaning onto the clean counter whilst Ashe dries his hands. “I take them regularly before coming here.”

Ashe frowns at him. “Still, why put your life at risk?” 

“I’d think it’d be obvious by now.” Yuri lifts an eyebrow at him, and Ashe finds himself flustered, as he always does near him. “That won’t happen again,” he promises, reaching into his pocket for his wallet. “I came here to pay the bill. We had Balthus pay his share, too, that freeloader.” 

“You don’t have to. It’s been taken care of.” Ashe paid back that same day. Mercedes and Dedue assured him it’d be fine since they left for an emergency, but he wouldn’t leave without covering for the expenses.

Yuri regards him in silence, chin slightly tilted down so he can peer up at Ashe from beneath his lashes. The look is smouldering and sends more blood to Ashe’s face. The fingers poised around the bills inside the wallet retreat before Yuri snaps the wallet shut and returns it to his pocket. “Let me make it up to you.”

“Huh?” 

“Can I treat you for dinner?” Yuri asks, leaning further forward on the counter. “I know this place that serves some really good food.”

“Wha- I-I mean, s-sure!” Ashe tries to keep his smile friendly, even as his heart picks up its pace and his fingers are trembling slightly. Dinner?  _ With Yuri? _ This can’t be real. Is this a joke?

“Sweet. We’ll work out the details and I’ll send you the address.” Yuri grabs a pen lying nearby and a napkin from the counter, sliding them over to Ashe so he can write down his number. After returning it, Yuri draws a little heart after his name, and Ashe’s own skips far too many beats. “It’s a date.” 

Yuri leaves with a wink and another flirty smile, glancing over his shoulder before shutting the door behind his back and walking away. Ashe lowers his hand from the slow, awkward wave and braces his weight on the counter. That wasn’t real. Either he’s sleeping or this is some daydream induced by another sugar high. Yuri didn’t just come to the café and ask him out. He didn’t.

The phone buzzing in his pocket says otherwise. 

Ashe straightens up when Mercedes exits the kitchen. She doesn’t comment on the redness of his face, but the gleam in her eyes tells him enough. She saw everything. And soon Dedue will know too, and then all their friends.

He stands close by as she locks up the door, pulling his phone from his pocket to check the message from the unknown number.

_ So, little bird, about that date. _

Ashe quickly saves the contact, hesitating just a moment before tacking a purple heart emoji at the end of Yuri’s name. 

**Author's Note:**

> | [yuriashe playlist](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0OfM6V57iDzm6EU5URAXdC?si=-1h-RuptSsCWP9RvIpmO9g) | [tumblr](https://chininiris.tumblr.com/) | [twitter](https://twitter.com/chininiris) | [carrd](https://chininiris.carrd.com/) |


End file.
